Saviour Missives
by shalloworks
Summary: The little messages that saved the girl from love, the little messages that brought love to her. A short story. DHMG.


Disclaimer: I do not own Draco Malfoy, Hermione Granger and the wizarding world. I own everything else. 

**Chapter One**

His eyes swept past the room, the incessant chattering blending with the green colour of the walls. Those grey eyes darted about, looking out, searching. There were too many people in the café, but there – there she was.

"Granger," he said. "Mind if I take this seat?"

Those beautiful brown orbs filled with surprise, with mild stupor, but with a sort of welcoming kindness.

"Sure," she said. And she smiled.

The October sun was shining its glory unto the stoned grounds of London. He remembered the awkward silence that engulfed them.

"So, what brings you here?" she asked, curious. Some things never change.

"I was required at the ministry," he said.

She nodded.

Then there was that awkward silence again. The odd silence that didn't suffocate, that only made you wonder and wonder and wonder what to say, that was screaming to be alleviated.

He remembered as she tried to continue reading her book and taking intermittent, timid, fleeting glances at him. With an indifferent countenance, he continued to sip his cup of coffee as his eyes fixed on her, until she couldn't bear the silence and the grating stare.

"You're staring at me," she stated without contempt. No agitation, no aggression, just curiosity, always that curiosity.

He gave her a genial smile. He set his cup of coffee on the table, and then he replied, "How are you?"

Hermione's mouth was agape for a fraction of a second. That was unexpected.

"I… I'm fine," she returned, not knowing if she should answer the question at all.

Her eyes bore unto his, confused and amazed. And he laughed a chuckle that broke away the tension, the uneasiness, and the discomforting awkwardness.

He remembered exactly how that first conversation brought them together, book forgotten, coffee forgotten. They spoke of many things in the hour that was granted. They spoke of the past, the silly, unforgettable moments from school, the war, the media, their friends, their jobs.

He remembered in perfect detail how she twitched her nose when she was thinking, how she had laughed at his attempts to joke about the past when he half-expected her to punch the lights out of him like she did in third year. He remembered coming to a revelation, of how they've each moved on since seventh year, since the war.

"You know, I never would have thought I'd be having such an accidental conversation with you, Malfoy," she said as she dropped her book into her handbag. She was getting ready to leave.

"Yeah, me neither," he replied. He finished his last sip of coffee, cold coffee.

She stood from her seat, her movements somewhat hesitant and unsure.

"I guess I'll see you around, Malfoy."

"Of course, Granger, take care."

He never asked how he could contact her again, he never asked her for a second meeting; he had never told her that their meeting was not an accident at all, that he always visits the café but she never saw him.

He never told her that he saw her boyfriend ungratefully dumped her in that same café two months before and knows that she was waiting for him to go back to her. He had almost scolded her in his temerity when he followed anonymously behind her as she cried walking home, to let her know her tears weren't worth it. He didn't tell he's been watching her, watching out for her, praying that she will break out of her reverie and move on.

He didn't know why he didn't tell her all of that.

xxx

There he was again, same order – black coffee, just plain, bitter coffee. She took a surreptitious glance at the blond man as his grey eyes scanned the tumultuous crowd. She abruptly looked back down at her book, hoping that he hadn't caught her staring, hoping for no reason that he would walk over to her.

"Granger," he said.

Her heart leaped as she felt her stomach sink. She tilted her head to him.

"Mind if I take this seat?"

"Sure," she said. She wasn't sure what else to say.

She saw the grey eyes that were so enticing, inviting her to sink into its wonderful depths. The pair of eyes that gave her comfort then instead of the jest that they did when they were still young and silly.

She remembered the silence that followed. She could remember feeling the heat under his unfaltering gaze, feeling so exposed. She couldn't be more thankful when he broke the silence, thankful for the deep chuckle that inaugurated a comfortable conversation. She remembered that not very long ago, the same man with the affable smile only knew to smirk and snarl.

"I guess I'll see you around, Malfoy."

"Of course, Granger, take care."

And she left.

She knew. She knew she was stupid to hold on to someone who didn't love her, to hold on to a non-existent love. She knew she deserved something better. She was waiting, waiting for something, something stupendous, something so massive the world would crash. She was waiting, but yet she was still holding on.

She knew Draco hung out at the café as religiously as she does. She knew that he had been there when she was ungraciously dumped by her boyfriend, that he had made sure she got home safely without saying a word, that he had been her secret guardian. She enjoyed their chanced meeting and she knew it would be polite to ask him for a second meeting. She knew, but she didn't know why she didn't tell him all of that.

ooo


End file.
